Unas led the charge, and Rendaen's men followed Charge, turning the ancient and sacred duel in the hearts of the Dwarves into a chaotic melee.
Once the formalities were broken, there were no rules to follow. The Iron Golems and Dwarf nobles crossed the dueling arena to form a defensive line, while the fire giant Geddon and the Flamewaker angel rushed to Thaurissan's side, together injecting fire energy into the Flame Cage, attempting to quickly burn the imprisoned Dwarf lord to death.
As Unas charged, he raised his dragon-hide shield to deflect several bolts of lightning, and once again engaged these iron lumps in close combat.
The immediate priority should be rescuing Rendaen, but Unas lacks the confidence to face the combined forces of Thaurissan, Geddon, and the Flamewaker alone, so he must first gather his strength.
He deliberately created openings, allowing the puppet to strike him repeatedly, which finally activated the Reckoning. With his goal achieved, he slammed his hammer down, knocking back the puppet in front of him, and leaped into the air, unfurling his Light Wings.
Unas didn't fly directly to Thaurissan. Instead, he set his sights on Fran, who was in the Dwarf formation behind the puppet. Finding Firekiss was the most important thing for him, and he could take care of it while he was at it.
Flying through the air, he was an obvious target, but Unas's flying skills were quite proficient. He drew a zigzag in the air, dodging all ranged weapons and lightning. In just three seconds, Fran's terrified face was within reach.
He grabbed the Dwarf's black beard, which was bound into a pillar shape with silver rings, and at the same time unleashed Divine Storm that swept away all the Dwarves around him. He flapped his Light Wings and soared into the sky again, flying directly back.
Without landing, he forcefully tossed the struggling Dwarf to the elite squad of young men, yelling, "Keep an eye on him!"
Then it spread its wings, circled in the air like a wild goose, and charged straight at Thaurissan.
Although this action took less than ten seconds, all eyes were now on him, and almost all the enemies turned their attacks on him.
The puppets' lightning bolts, the Dwarf nobles and their bodyguards' various ranged weapons, the enemy mages' Fireballs or magic arrows, and even the Flamewaker ambassador stopped casting spells and thrust out his enormous trident.
Faced with an all-encompassing attack, Unas had no way to dodge, nor did he want to. He had activated the Reckoning earlier precisely for this moment; how could he accumulate power without taking hits?
Having already experienced the paralyzing effect of the purple lightning, he couldn't afford to be hit again. So he dodged and weaved in the air, specifically avoiding the lightning, and only attempted to dodge the most lethal attacks.
Almost instantly, Unas was attacked nearly a hundred times. The cracking sounds were incessant, the sounds of his armor shattering. His entire set of silver armor had been damaged for a long time and was finally giving way.
The power of the Reckoning had accumulated to a threshold; the blood vessels and muscles throughout the body swelled to their limit, as if they were about to explode at any moment.
He felt a mouthful of blood rising to his throat, but he forced it back down. He couldn't let this breath escape!
Although his body was severely injured, he also accumulated unprecedented strength, which allowed him to persevere.
Unas frantically flapped his Light Wings and charged forward. Thaurissan's head, covered in fiery red cracks, was already close at his feet. He raised his Silver Hammers high above his head, ready to unleash all his power on the mutated monster.
Suddenly, the fire giant Geddon beside Thaurissan transformed into a ball of flame and crashed into the swooping Paladin like a cannonball.
The Flamewaker Ambassador also unleashed a blazing white beam of light at him.
Unas remained unwavering; his only target was Thaurissan, and nothing and no one else mattered to him now.
"Hammer of Righteousness!"
A giant Warhammer, composed of blinding golden light, coalesced on the Verigan's Fist, amplifying its power fourfold!
The attack, infused with the power of Reckoning, was amplified fourfold. Unas gripped his Warhammer tightly, ignoring the blood gushing from his ruptured blood vessels, and swung it down fiercely.
The Hammer of Righteousness crashed down like a mountain, colliding violently with the Fireball that Geddon had become!
The giant Fireball was crushed into pieces, splitting into several flames that shot in all directions from the base of the hammer. Geddon was not dead, but he was seriously injured, and it would not be easy for him to reassemble.
At the same time, the Flamewaker's white beam pierced the Paladin's chest, leaving a fist-sized hole.
Unas was already covered in blood; the fourfold full-value Reckoning was beyond his capacity to withstand. His blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs were all severely damaged. Even without the bloody hole in his chest, he would have been finished.
The wings on his back then vanished silently, and he plummeted to the ground amidst a spray of blood.
The golden hammer of light did not disappear after shattering Geddon; it fell along with Unas due to inertia, aiming directly at Thaurissan's head.
Seeing Geddon's fate and facing such a powerful attack, the Dark Iron King knew he couldn't withstand it and simply abandoned casting spells, focusing all his energy on dodging to the side.
But he seemed to have forgotten how enormous his body was. His head turned to the side, but his shoulder didn't have time to dodge and was hit hard by the light hammer!
With a deafening roar, a small earthquake was triggered throughout the hall. Countless flames and obsidian fragments erupted from Thaurissan's right shoulder, knocking down a group of Dwarf nobles who were relatively close to him.
The entire arena fell into a deathly silence. Both sides involuntarily stopped fighting. When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Thaurissan's entire right shoulder, right arm, and a large part of his upper body had disappeared. Such injuries would have killed any flesh and blood creature long ago, but he was still alive, only unconscious and unable to maintain his balance, lying slumped on the ground.
Rendaen also emerged from the Flame Cage. He was curled up on the ground, his fur and clothes, including his Dragonhide Armor, completely gone. His Bronze Body was glowing red-hot and even seemed to have shrunk considerably.
The Dwarf lord, his body burning hot, rose from the ground, and Rendaen's men immediately erupted in thunderous cheers, while the Dwarf nobles looked ashen-faced.
Unas also stood up next to Thaurissan, much to the relief of the anxious Darian and Erigor and the others.
What saved his life was, of course, the newly acquired talent "Ardent Defender." The impact of falling to the ground could have killed him, so this talent was triggered. The smoke and dust obscured the golden light that Ardent Defender emitted when it was activated, so for the time being, no one knows how he survived.
A cacophony of clanging sounds erupted as some of the Dwarf nobles dropped their weapons, preparing to surrender. But the Flamewaker Ambassador had a completely different view. "His Majesty the King is not dead! Continue the fight!"
Few responded; even Thaurissan's newly appointed puppet commander ignored his orders. Everyone waited for Rendaen to speak.
But the Dwarf lord remained motionless after getting up, and the people in the hall waited for nearly ten seconds, but he still did not make any move.
Even a fool could see that the Dwarf lord was in dire straits, which rekindled hope for Thaurissan's side, and many nobles who were prepared to surrender picked up their weapons again.
After his "resurrection," Unas was only at half his strength. He thought victory was assured, but the current situation forced him to step up once again.
Although his current position is quite unfavorable, surrounded by the enemy, the fallen Thaurissan is right beside him, and defeating the Dwarf King will naturally bring victory.
Just as he was about to make a move, the Flamewaker Ambassador's powerful body blocked his path, brandishing his spear to intimidate him while shouting to the Iron Golem and the Dwarf Nobles, "Kill Rendaen quickly, and victory will be ours again!"
Rendaen was also surrounded by Dwarf nobles. Previously, there was Flame Cage, and no one dared to approach, so there was an open space around him.
The Flamewaker Ambassador's words immediately provoked a strong backlash from Rendaen's subordinates, who shouted "Rescue the Lord!" and launched an attack. The Iron Golems at the forefront were forced to retaliate.
But no one dared to approach Rendaen. Everyone had witnessed the Dwarf lord's formidable fighting prowess, and if he suddenly awoke, getting close would be suicidal.
The Dwarf nobles didn't want to offend him at this critical juncture. Thaurissan's near-death state greatly shook their confidence. Surrender might offer a way out, while attacking the future king would only lead to their death.
The Flamewaker Ambassador was furious. These people who usually fawned over him and obeyed his every word turned out to be complete opportunists. He turned and pointed at Unas, "This human who attempted to assassinate the king is already seriously injured, and now he still wants to harm His Majesty! Quickly, join me in killing him!"
Unas was covered in blood, and his armor was tattered. He was indeed seriously injured. The power he had accumulated from his previous earth-shattering attack could no longer intimidate people, and the Dwarf nobles immediately became restless.
In fact, his injuries had fully healed, but due to the aftereffects of "Ardent Defender," he only had 50% of his physical strength and energy left, so he couldn't fight at full strength and therefore didn't take the initiative to attack after being stopped.
Seeing the danger, he immediately retreated to Rendaen's side. The Dwarf lord remained motionless, his still crimson body radiating astonishing heat, making it impossible to tell whether he was dead or alive.
Unas felt he was still alive; if he were to die, he should have turned to ashes, not remained in this position. Perhaps he was struggling to survive.
Seeing that he had successfully driven him away, the Flamewaker immediately began to cast a spell to heal Thaurissan. He could see very clearly that the Dark Iron King was the key to victory.
Unas drew his large shield to deflect the enemy's sporadic ranged attacks. The Dwarf nobles, fearing they might accidentally hit Rendaen behind him, carefully blocked the shots.
The battle has now reached a stalemate, with the Rendaen Army unable to break through the Iron Golems ' defenses. Now it all depends on the leaders of both sides; whoever wakes up first will gain the upper hand.
But soon the situation changed again. A roar came from the entrance of the hall, and the Molten Core Monster, Bael'Gar, appeared.
His arrival was certainly not accidental. Since parting ways with Erigor, he had been wandering around the Bedchamber, continuing to search for scattered Fire Dwarves to devour. The movement of the large group of people could not be kept from him, and Bael'Gar had already discovered the entrance to the underground hall.
He had been lying in wait, waiting for the perfect opportunity, and now it had finally arrived. Thaurissan's energy and body were food he coveted, and the severely injured Geddon had not yet reformed and looked extremely weak. A fire giant made of pure energy was a great tonic, and Flamewaker would also be a good side dish. He couldn't wait to enjoy this feast.
After this period of replenishment, his strength has increased even further. As soon as he appeared, he leaped up like a rocket launcher, directly over the fighting crowd, and crashed down on Thaurissan's position.
The Flamewaker, who was casting a spell, cried out in alarm and hurriedly rolled to the side. But Bael'Gar did not stop. He leaped again and pounced on the huge, trembling flame behind him. He decided to pick on the weak and swallow the fire giant first.
Geddon had no time to dodge. Bael'Gar's arms glowed red, clamping down on it like iron pincers. The fire giant, in his desperate attempt to survive, severed his wrists and tail, unaware that this only hastened his death. The weaker he became, the easier it was for him to be caught.
The two Fire Elemental creatures played hide-and-seek. The deadly hunter, Baikal, devoured the tail that Bael'Gar had severed from his hand while simultaneously capturing Geddon constantly splitting true forms. Soon, the weakened fire giant was completely drained.
Bael'Gar seemed to let out a burp, and before he could digest the energy in his body, he immediately turned his attention to his next target— the Flamewaker Ambassador.
The Flamewaker was truly desperate. He had thought that Geddon could buy him some time, so he hadn't coordinated the attack on Bael'Gar, but instead focused on healing Thaurissan. Now, he had ended up with nothing to show for it.
In terms of both physical strength and energy, he was inferior to this Molten Core Monster. As fellow Fire Elemental beings, such a disparity meant he had no chance of winning.
But fate seemed to be on his side. A flash of purple light, and the six Twilight Missionaries who had been teleported away were teleported back.
The battle in the hall took them by surprise. The six of them cast a spell at the same time, and a purple magic net was cast over Bael'Gar. The Lava Monster knew how powerful it was and quickly dodged, but it was still grazed on the arm, leaving trails of white smoke from the net.
The Twilight's Hammer has close ties with the Firelord and knows exactly how to deal with Fire Elementals, which temporarily puts Bael'Gar somewhat in a difficult position, preventing him from fully utilizing his abilities.
Flamewaker continued to heal Thaurissan, and the markings on the Dark Iron King's body gradually brightened, seemingly showing signs of recovery.
Since the appearance of the Molten Core Monster, Unas had been watching from the sidelines, enjoying the infighting among the Fire Elementals. But now that the situation was turning against him, he couldn't sit still any longer.
He pulled out several throwing hammers and hurled them at the Flamewaker, actually interrupting its fire healing spell.
But Thaurissan's body was trembling, and the cracks on his body began to open and close as if breathing. Even without treatment, he would gradually wake up.
He was crippled by Unas's sudden attack, and it's unknown whether Unas has any retaliatory plans. Unas will not allow him to wake up.
He tightened his shield, determined to nip the threat in the bud. Just as he was about to charge forward, the bishop among the Twilight Missionaries suddenly turned around, his staff pointing in his direction, and a barrage of black, corrosive arrows shot towards him.
The Twilight Bishop also understood the principle of "capture the leader first" to defeat the enemy. Seeing that his subordinates were able to block Bael'Gar, he immediately changed targets, sending all his Corrosive Arrows straight at the Bronze Body.